Bondi Beach vs Rose Bay

Bondi Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 40 in Rose Bay. In both, most homes are flats or apartments. In Bondi Beach, most households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In Rose Bay, most households own their home. On these figures, Bondi Beach tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Rose Bay suits older residents.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Rose Bay

ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 1)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (21% vs 4%)
  • has more childcare (14 vs 5)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Bondi Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($4,400,000 vs $6,550,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bondi Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (68% vs 44%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Rose Bay

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 9%)
  • carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 78/100)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 3)
  • But Bondi Beach has more units and townhouses to downsize into (96% vs 79%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Rose Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (6.9% vs 6.0%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Bondi Beach and Rose Bay drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Walkability 92 / 95
Bondi Beach — Walkability: 92/100 Rose Bay — Walkability: 95/100
Safety 22 / 64
Bondi Beach — Safety: 22/100 Rose Bay — Safety: 64/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Bondi Beach — Low fire risk: 100/100 Rose Bay — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Rose Bay skews older (40 vs 33); Bondi Beach has higher household incomes ($145,340 vs $132,028).

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Population 11,513
+14% vs other
 9,911
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.2% -1.4%
Median age 33 40
Median household income $145,340/yr
+9% vs other
 $132,028/yr
Median weekly rent $675/wk
+7% vs other
 $630/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
0-4 4.7% / 5.2%
Bondi Beach — 0-4: 4.7% Rose Bay — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 6.2% / 11.2%
Bondi Beach — 5-14: 6.2% Rose Bay — 5-14: 11.2%
15-19 2.3% / 4.9%
Bondi Beach — 15-19: 2.3% Rose Bay — 15-19: 4.9%
20-24 4.7% / 5.3%
Bondi Beach — 20-24: 4.7% Rose Bay — 20-24: 5.3%
25-34 36.0% / 14.4%
Bondi Beach — 25-34: 36.0% Rose Bay — 25-34: 14.4%
35-44 19.2% / 14.7%
Bondi Beach — 35-44: 19.2% Rose Bay — 35-44: 14.7%
45-54 11.1% / 13.4%
Bondi Beach — 45-54: 11.1% Rose Bay — 45-54: 13.4%
55-64 7.0% / 10.7%
Bondi Beach — 55-64: 7.0% Rose Bay — 55-64: 10.7%
65-74 4.6% / 9.4%
Bondi Beach — 65-74: 4.6% Rose Bay — 65-74: 9.4%
75-84 2.8% / 7.2%
Bondi Beach — 75-84: 2.8% Rose Bay — 75-84: 7.2%
85+ 1.3% / 3.6%
Bondi Beach — 85+: 1.3% Rose Bay — 85+: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (36.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bondi Beach 50.0% lone person
Bondi Beach — Lone Person: 50.0% Bondi Beach — Couple Families: 21.5% Bondi Beach — Group Household: 19.4% Bondi Beach — One Parent Families: 7.8% Bondi Beach — Other Families: 1.4%
Rose Bay 41.7% lone person
Rose Bay — Lone Person: 41.7% Rose Bay — Couple Families: 37.7% Rose Bay — Group Household: 6.3% Rose Bay — One Parent Families: 13.1% Rose Bay — Other Families: 1.2%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bondi Beach 67.5% renting
Bondi Beach — Owned Outright: 16.1% Bondi Beach — Mortgage: 16.5% Bondi Beach — Renting: 67.5%
Rose Bay 44.1% renting
Rose Bay — Owned Outright: 31.2% Rose Bay — Mortgage: 24.7% Rose Bay — Renting: 44.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Bachelor Degree 34.0% / 27.1%
Bondi Beach — Bachelor Degree: 34.0% Rose Bay — Bachelor Degree: 27.1%
Postgraduate Degree 13.0% / 10.1%
Bondi Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 13.0% Rose Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 10.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 8.6%
Bondi Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Rose Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6%
Certificate III & IV 5.6% / 5.3%
Bondi Beach — Certificate III & IV: 5.6% Rose Bay — Certificate III & IV: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 2.7%
Bondi Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Rose Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (34.0%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
England 10.6% / 5.6%
Bondi Beach — England: 10.6% Rose Bay — England: 5.6%
South Africa 2.4% / 9.3%
Bondi Beach — South Africa: 2.4% Rose Bay — South Africa: 9.3%
New Zealand 2.9% / 2.1%
Bondi Beach — New Zealand: 2.9% Rose Bay — New Zealand: 2.1%
Brazil 2.0% / 0.9%
Bondi Beach — Brazil: 2.0% Rose Bay — Brazil: 0.9%
Italy 1.6% / 0.9%
Bondi Beach — Italy: 1.6% Rose Bay — Italy: 0.9%
France 2.2% / —
Bondi Beach — France: 2.2% Rose Bay — France: not among its largest
China — / 2.1%
Bondi Beach — China: not among its largest Rose Bay — China: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bondi Beach 86.1% flats / apartments
Bondi Beach — Flats / Apartments: 86.1% Bondi Beach — Houses: 4.1% Bondi Beach — Townhouses: 9.8%
Rose Bay 70.7% flats / apartments
Rose Bay — Flats / Apartments: 70.7% Rose Bay — Houses: 20.6% Rose Bay — Townhouses: 8.7%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Median house price $4,400,000 $6,550,000
Median unit price $1,550,000 $1,600,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 26 sales
 28 days
from 10 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
2 bed $1.74M / $1.5M
Bondi Beach — 2 bed: $1.74M (149 sales) Rose Bay — 2 bed: $1.5M (23 sales)

149 vs 23 sales

3 bed $3.1M / $3.22M
Bondi Beach — 3 bed: $3.1M (21 sales) Rose Bay — 3 bed: $3.22M (10 sales)

21 vs 10 sales

Zoning mix

Bondi Beach has more commercially zoned land (17% vs 3%).

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Residential 63% 53%
Parks and recreation 17% 34%
Commercial 17% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 8%
Environmental 1% 0%
Planning zones cover 100% of Bondi Beach and 99% of Rose Bay. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
New dwellings approved 180
across Waverley
 222
across Woollahra
Approvals change year on year +42% -21%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Houses 2.1%
$1,995/wk on $5M
 —
Units 6.0%
$1,100/wk on $950K
 6.9%
$998/wk on $750K

Ranking within NSW

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
House price Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Income Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 90% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 5% of NSW Higher than 3% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 2% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 100% of NSW

Liveability

Rose Bay scores higher overall (93 vs 83).

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Grade A A+
Score 83/100 93/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Bondi Beach carries more crime risk (78 vs 36).

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
78/100
 Low
36/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
39/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Inside the suburb 1 6
Rated above peers 0 4
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of New South Wales, 5.5 km
 3
1-37 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, 5.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.5% 2.9%

Schools in Bondi Beach

  • Bondi Beach Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Rose Bay

  • Cranbrook Junior School Independent · Primary above peers
  • Kambala Independent · Combined above peers
  • McAuley Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Rose Bay Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Rose Bay Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
  • Kambala, Fernbank Campus Independent · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Supermarkets 4
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 109 18
Parks & reserves 5 8
Childcare 5 14
GPs 3 5
Pharmacies 5
same for both
Police stations 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 1 3
Fuel stations 0 2
Beaches 1 0

Mobility

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Walkability score 92/100 95/100
Distance to Sydney 8.9 km
+6% vs other
 8.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 20 min 19 min
Public transport score 94/100
Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 272.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 292.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 3.1%
postcode 2026
 3.5%
postcode 2029
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 7
postcode 2026
 8
postcode 2029

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Worked from Home 67.9% / 60.3%
Bondi Beach — Worked from Home: 67.9% Rose Bay — Worked from Home: 60.3%
Car (driver) 18.2% / 29.7%
Bondi Beach — Car (driver): 18.2% Rose Bay — Car (driver): 29.7%
Walked Only 4.8% / 3.6%
Bondi Beach — Walked Only: 4.8% Rose Bay — Walked Only: 3.6%
Train 4.2% / 1.6%
Bondi Beach — Train: 4.2% Rose Bay — Train: 1.6%
Bus 2.7% / 2.1%
Bondi Beach — Bus: 2.7% Rose Bay — Bus: 2.1%
Car (passenger) 1.1% / 2.2%
Bondi Beach — Car (passenger): 1.1% Rose Bay — Car (passenger): 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.9%).

Setting

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Elevation 24 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 10 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 416 m
498 m to a named beach
 1.3 km
532 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Connectivity score 76/100 77/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 5%
7,320 premises
 8%
5,339 premises

Climate

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Annual rainfall 1,129 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³ 6.3 µg/m³
PM10 16.8 µg/m³ 13.8 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.64 pphm 0.84 pphm

Council rates

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Average residential rate $1,277/yr $1,812/yr
Council Waverley Woollahra

Federal electorate

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Division Wentworth
same for both
Member Allegra Spender
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bondi Beach Rose Bay
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bondi Beach

Apartments Beach Beachfront Cafe Culture Coastal Easy Commute Inner Nightlife Parks Premium Professionals Transport Hub Urban

Rose Bay

Apartments Beach Coastal Inner Parks Premium Professionals Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach vs Bellevue Hill Bondi Beach vs Bondi Bondi Beach vs North Bondi

Other comparisons with Rose Bay

Rose Bay vs Bellevue Hill Rose Bay vs Vaucluse Rose Bay vs North Bondi Rose Bay vs Dover Heights Rose Bay vs Point Piper
Full data on Bondi Beach Full data on Rose Bay
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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